SNEAKY: Insurers often hide get-out clauses in the small print of their policies

Scarlett, aged seven, was examined by TV Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick, 47, who found she had arthritis in her hind legs and needed surgery to pin her ankles.

“Scarlett has had the operation on both legs now, but I had to pay all the fees upfront”

Anthony Skordis, pet owner

Three years earlier, Scarlett had been lame in her left ankle and had been examined by a vet.

Tests for arthritis were carried out but came back clear.

But the Co-op said they would only pay £3,500 for the op on her right ankle and not her left because she had shown “early clinical signs” of a problem.

Anthony said: “The operation was for arthritis and she had been tested for that three years earlier. They said it wasn’t the cause of her lameness.

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DEAR ME: Costs of medical care for animals can skyrocket into the thousands

“She had to have an operation to fuse and pin both ankles and without the surgery the only kind thing to do would be to put her to sleep.

“But there was no way I could only have the operation on one leg so I set up a crowdfunding page to cover the cost.

“Scarlett has had the operation on both legs now, but I had to pay all the fees upfront.”

The number of pet owners claiming on policies rose by 9% in 2015, with a total of 911,000 claims made, totting up to £657million according to the Association of British Insurers.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) said complaints about pet insurance firms refusing to cover care have rocketed, with a 10% rise in the last year.

Because of this, out of the 9million dogs in the UK, only 2.5million are insured.

Only 1.2million of the 7million cats in the UK have cover.

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PRICEY: Out of the 9million dogs in the UK, only 2.5million are insured

A spokesman for the FOS said: “Of all the complaints we see, those involving pet insurance can be the most contentious.

“They are also often the most distressing.”

The most common reasons to refuse a claim are if the pet already had the condition when the policy began or showed signs after it was taken out, or that the owner didn’t disclose the pet’s medical history.

If the animal has a “bilateral” condition – something that affects both sides of the body – the insurer can treat this as one condition and refuse to meet the entire claim.

Kevin Pratt from MoneySuperMarket urged owners to put up a fight if insurers try to get out of paying.

He said: “Unfortunately, the small print on policies often contains some sort of get-out clause.

“Anyone who is in dispute with their insurance company should take up the matter with the Financial Ombudsman Service.”

A spokesman said: “Although the policy excludes preexisting conditions, after looking into the case and considering the circumstances, we will be making a payment of £1,662 towards Scarlett’s treatment to her left hind leg.”